Dispenser for tubular cylindrical articles, especially tapered hair rollers

ABSTRACT

The specification discloses a dispenser for tubular articles, especially hair rollers, and more particularly still, for tapered hair rollers. The dispenser comprises a frame having a plurality of cylindrical passages extending therethrough from top to bottom in side to side relation. Each passage is adapted for receiving the hair rollers at the top, small end down, so the rollers will nest in the passages while, at the bottom of each passage, a retaining means is provided for engaging the lowermost one of the rollers, so that the rollers can be withdrawn from the dispenser one at a time.

United States Patent 1191 Porter Oct. 1, 1974 1 DISPENSER FOR TUBULARCYLINDRICAL 3,048,181 8/1962 Quinn 133/2 ARTICLES, ESPECIALLY TAPEREDHAIR 311L329 10965 y 22V308 X ROLLERS 3,254,804 6/1966 Grant 222/185Rl5,958 12/1924 Ashton 312/ [76] Inventor: Michael V. Porter, 707 E.Walnut, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Kokomo, 1nd.

502,624 3/1939 Great Britain 221/310 [22] Filed: Apr. 4, 1973 [21] APP!N0: 347,652 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-CharlesA. Marmor Related Appllcatlon Data Attorney, Agent, or FirmAlbert L.Jeffers; Roger M. [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 158,489, June 30,Rickert 1971, abandoned.

[57] ABSTRACT 8 221/283 133; The Specification discloses a dispenser fortubular arti- [58] Field 01581151; 17581565, 310, 124, fi espicanyrollers and Partlculafl? 221/123 311 92 282 285 0r tapered halr rollers.The d spenser comprlses a 222/185 frame havlng a plurality of cylmdrlcalpassages extending therethrough from top to bottom in side to siderelation. Each passage is adapted for receiving the [56] References cuedhair rollers at the top, small end down, so the rollers UNITED STATESPATENTS will nest in the passages while, at the bottom of each 1,341,6065/1920 Wilson 221/307 X passage, a retaining means is provided forengaging 15841517 9/ 1928 the lowermost one of the rollers, so that therollers 11181321 5/1938 can be withdrawn from the dispenser one at atime. 2,323,841 7/1943 2,543,746 3/1951 8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figuresmurmur H v 3.888.792

S'EET30F4 JNVENTO MICHAEL V. PORTER DISPENSER FOR TUBULAR CYLINDRICALARTICLES, ESPECIALLY TAPERED HAIR ROLLERS The present application is acontinuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 158,489; filed: June 30,1971, and entitled: DISPENSER FOR TUBULAR CYLINDRI- CAL ARTICLES,ESPECIALLY TAPERED I-IAIR ROLLERS, which is now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a dispensing arrangement, especially adispensing arrangement for tubular articles, and more particularlystill, to a dispensing ar rangement for hair rollers.

Hair rollers are well known and are widely used by individuals and alsoby beauticians and the like. The rollers are used in substantialquantity, especially by beauticians, and it is a matter of considerableconvenience for beauticians to have the rollers stored in a convenientand readily accessible manner.

With the foregoing in mind, the primary objective of the presentinvention is the provision of a dispensing arrangement for receivingtubular hair rollers which supports the rollers in a convenient readilyaccessible position and in such a manner that the rollers can bewithdrawn from the dispenser one at a time when needed.

Another object is the provision of a dispensing arrangement of thenature referred to which will protect the rollers against being soiledor damaged.

Still another object is the provision of a dispenser of the naturereferred to which is relatively inexpensive to construct and which canreadily be opened up for cleaning when necessary.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of adispenser for hair rollers and the like which provides for a pluralityof sizes of the rollers to be available for use.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent upon reference to the following detailedspecification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a dispenser arrangement accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view partly broken away looking down on top ofthe dispenser.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section indicated by line III- -III on FIG. 1and drawn at enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view indicated by line IVIV on FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the dispensingarrangement can be provided with a retaining means to support therollers in stacked relation in the passages or compartments therefor.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a modification adapted for wallmounting.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view looking in at the back of the modificationof FIG. 6 showing the support elements provided for mounting thedispenser on a wall.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the modification of FIGS. 6and 7.

FIG. 9 is a plan view looking down on top of the bottom plate of anembodiment of the dispenser.

FIG. 10 shows the bottom plate of FIG. 9 in perspective.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

According to the present invention, the dispensing arrangement comprisesa frame having cylindrical passages of different sizes extending fromtop to bottom and arranged in side by side relation. Advantageously, theframe consists of a molded body member having grooves, extendingthereacross, and the passages are formed by a front cover plate mountedon the body member and confing the grooves on the open side thereof. Thefront cover member is preferably transparent so that the number ofrollers in each passage or compartment can readily be observed.

The device is adapted for having supporting feet connected therewith andis also adapted for wall mounting. The rollers, which are preferablytapered, are inserted in the respective compartments or passages at thetop, small end foremost, and nest in telescopic relation in thepassages.

Each passage at the bottom has a yieldable retaining means so that thelowermost roller in each passage or compartment is supported with aportion thereof exposed, so that it can easily be grasped and withdrawnfrom the dispenser arrangement. The retaining means then engages theroller next above the said lowermost one and retains this roller and theothers stacked thereon in the respective passage or compartment.

' DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawingssomewhat more in detail, and in particular with reference to FIGS. 1 to5, which illustrate a first modification of the present invention, thedispensing arrangement comprises a frame part 10 having a plurality ofpassages 12 extending therethrough from top wall 14 to bottom wall 16and opening through both thereof. Each passage 12 is adapted forreceiving a plurality of rollers 18 therein in stacked relation.

The rollers 18 taper inwardly toward one end and are inserted in thecompartments, small end foremost, at the top, so that the rollers willstack in the compartments, as shown in FIG. 1. Near the lower end ofeach passage or compartment, retaining means is provided which engagesthe lowermost roller therein and supports this roller, as well as theother rollers which are stacked thereon, with the lowermost rollerpartially exposed, so that it can easily be grasped and withdrawn fromthe dispenser. When the lowermost roller is withdrawn from a passage orcompartment, the retaining means supportingly engages the next rollerthereabove.

The frame 10 in FIGS. 1 to 5 is provided with detachable legs orstandards 20 on the opposite ends which may be detachably connected tothe body part of the frame as by the T-shaped projections 22 on the endwalls of the frame of the frame of the dispensing arrangement, which arereceivable in slots 24 in the legs or standards 20.

As will be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame of the device comprises amain body part .26, which may be a molding, for example, an injectionmolded member of high impact polystyrene, and is shaped so as to havegrooves 28 therein opening toward one side of the body member. The bodymember may be formed with integral side walls 30 or the side walls maybe attached to the body member after the molding thereof.

The body member is molded with, or is provided with, a top coveringmember 32, and there is, likewise, provided a body cover member 34, thelatter being shown in FIG. 5. Each of the cover members 32 and 34 isprovided with apertures which register with the axes of the grooves 28formed in the body member.

The body member is preferably also provided with a back wall 36 in theform of a planar member and a planar front wall 38 which isadvantageously transparent and which is also, advantageously, readilyremoveable from the body member to expose the aforementioned grooves forcleaning.

Front cover or wall member 38 completes the formation of the passages orcompartments by confining the groove 28 toward the front, and it is,therefore, advantageous for each groove to have the axis thereof spacedfrom front wall 38 a distance about equal to the radius of therespective groove.

As will be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the retaining means,

which holds the stacked rollers releasably in the respective passages orcompartments therefor, may be in the form of a sheet of rubber-likematerial 40, mounted on top or bottom wall 34 and having aperturestherein, registering with the apertures in the rubber plate but slightlysmaller in diameter so as to engage the rollers in the respectivecompartment in the axial region between the opposite ends thereof.

A suitable region for engagement by the retaining means along therollers is illustrated in FIG. 4, wherein it will be seen that aboutthree-fourths of the lowermost roller illustrated therein is exposed.

FIG. 5 also indicates schematically the clearance between the lower endof the conical hair roller illustrated therein and the interferenceprovided by the rubberlike retaining member 40.

Individual retaining means could be provided for each of the passages orcompartments, and the single apertured rubber-like member 40,illustrated in FIG. 4, is merely exemplary.

The above described embodiment of the invention is characterized in theprovision of supporting legs or standards which support the dispensingarrangement with the passages or compartments for the rollers extendingin the upright direction and with the lower ends of the passages exposedand spaced from the horizontal surface on which the lower ends of legsrest.

It is convenient for the passages and compartments to provide for thestorage of different numbers of rollers therein and, to this end, aswill be seen in FIG. 1, the body part of the dispenser arrangement maytaper inwardly toward one end.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 to 8, substantially the same arrangement isillustrated as above described but, in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 to 8,the body 50 of the dispensing arrangement has mounting blocks 52 mountedon the back thereof with the back surface of each thereof provided witha pressure sensitive adhesive coating 54 that may be covered by a peeloff strip 56.

The dispensing arrangement of FIGS. 6 to 8 is adapted for being mountedon a vertical or upright wall surface 58 and, merely by peeling off thepeel off cover strips 56 and pressing the adhesive coated back surfacesmounting blocks 52 against the vertical surface. In all other respects,the dispensing arrangement of FIGS. 6 to 8 can be substantiallyidentical with that of FIGS. 1 to 5.

A typical dispenser may be arranged for holding about twelve dozen coneshaped rollers, and which rollers are generally color coded to indicatethe size thereof, so that a variety of different diameters and lengthsof rollers will be readily available to the user of the dispenser onceit is loaded.

In the molding of the body part of the dispenser, it will be evidentthat the portion thereof bearing the grooves may have the top and bottomwalls and the end walls molded integrally therewith, or these elementscan be attached to the grooved body portion independently.

Similarly, the rubber-like strip forming the retaining portion can bemounted on either side of the bottom wall but is preferably mounted ontop thereof and, if the bottom wall is mounted integrally with thegrooved body part, the molding would provide clearance for receiving therubber-like strip.

FIG. 8 shows the grooved body part with the top and bottom walls and endwalls integrally molded at 60, with the rubber-like retainer strip 62and with the transparent front wall 64 adapted for being mounted inclosing relation to the grooved body part.

As shown in FIG. 8, the dispenser has a back wall 66 adapted to bemounted thereon and which, in turn, is adapted for receiving theaforemensioned mounting blocks 52. The body of the dispenser in FIG. 8is also provided with the lugs or projections 22 adapted for receivingthe supporting legs or standards 20 so that one and the same body partcan be arranged for wall mounting or for receiving supporting legs.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a modification in which the retaining means foryieldably supporting the hair rollers at the lower end of the passagesis integrally formed with the bottom wall of the device.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, 72 indicates the bottom wall of the device and 74 and75 indicate rib elements upstanding from the bottom wall between theopenings provided therein which are in registration with the passagewaysformed in the frame of the device. The frame of the device comprises aback wall 76 which, as explained previously, defines verticalpassageways, two of which are indicated at 80 and 82 in FIGS. 9 and 10.The frame may include stiffening rib means as at 78 extending verticallytherealong.

The retaining means according to the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10comprise finger elements 84 extending radially into the several passagemeans provided for the hair rollers. Advantageously, the frame of thedevice is molded from a medium impact polypropylene when the fingerelements are formed integrally therewith, or a similar plastic material,and the finger elements 84 are formed integrally with the frame aboutthe periphery of each opening in the bottom wall which registers with arespective passageway.

The finger elements can vary widely in size and configuration and may befewer in number than is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. For example, it hasbeen found that finger elements disposed at 45 intervals are quitesatisfactory with the finger elements extending radially inwardly about0.200 to 0.250 of an inch and each being about 0.020 inches thick. Thefinger elements in this case extend circumferentially such a distancethat the opposed edges thereof are spaced about 0.080 to 0.090 of aninch in the circumferential direction.

Advantageously, the finger elements may project inwardly from the uppersurface of the top of the bottom wall, whereby there will besubstantially no protrusion of the fingers through the bottom wall evenwhen a roller is drawn therethrough.

It is apparent that while the finger elements are advantageously moldedintegrally with the bottom wall of the frame it is also conceivable thata member can be molded independently of the bottom wall and the fingerelements formed thereon and being affixed to the bottom wall.

The yieldable finger elements according to the present invention aresubstantially everlasting and can be considered to be as long lived asthe remainder of the apparatus disclosed herein.

Modifications may be made within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A dispenser for tubular cylindrical hair rollers of respectivediameters and lengths comprising, in combination; a frame havingsubstantially vertical open ended passages thereacross in the form ofsemicircular grooves extending between the top and the bottom of saidframe, said semicircular grooves having radii of different sizes andopen toward the front of said frame each groove adapted to receive hairrollers with a slightly smaller diameter for free movement of therollers along the respective passage, retaining means on the frameadjacent the open lower end of each passage for engagement with thelowermost hair roller in each passage to support the hair rollers instacked relation while exposing a portion of the length of said lowermost hair roller at the bottom of each passage, said retaining meansyieldably engaging the lowermost hair roller of each stack to permit itto be drawn downwardly from the lower end of the passage and also beingoperable for supportingly engaging and halting the hair roller nextabove the lowermost hair roller when the latter is withdrawn from thelower end of the passage, front wall means on said frame confining thegrooves toward the front and spaced from the axes of the grooves adistance at least equal to the radius thereof, said frame being providedwith top and bottom walls having apertures registering with thepassages, said retaining means comprising a sheet of rubber-likematerial carried by said bottom wall and having apertures smaller indiameter than the apertures in said bottom wall and registeringtherewith, said frame also having end wall means, projections on saidend wall means, and standards having slots which engage saidprojections, said standards extending downwardly below said bottom wallfor supporting said frame on a horizontal surface.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which said passages are in sideby side generally coplanar relation.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the hair rollers are taperedand are introduced into the upper ends of said passages small endforemost so as to nest together in telescoped relation in said passages,said retaining means comprising a resilient rubber-like element near thelower end of each passage at least partially surrounding the respectivepassage and of such a size as to engage the lowermost hair roller in arespective passage in a region axially between the smaller and largerends of the hair roller.

4. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which said front wall means is'detachable from said body member to expose said grooves for cleaning.

5. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the top and bottom of saidbody member converge toward one end of the body member whereby saidgrooves are of respectively different lengths from top to bottom.

6. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which said retaining meanscomprises flexible finger means in circumferentially distributedrelation extending radially into each said passage near the lower endthereof.

7. A dispenser according to claim 6 in which said bottom wall is amolded plastic material and said finger means comprise a plurality ofcircumferentially distributed fingers integral with said bottom wall.

8. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which said hair rollers aretapered and tubular and are introduced into said passages at the topsmall end foremost so as to stack in said passages in partiallytelescoped relation with each other, said retaining means comprisingcircumferentially distributed flexible finger elements pro- 40 jectingradially into the lower end of each passage, the

upper end of the hair roller.

1. A dispenser for tubular cylindrical hair rollers of respectivediameters and lengths comprising, in combination; a frame havingsubstantially vertical open ended passages thereacross in the form ofsemicircular grooves extending between the top and the bottom of saidframe, said semicircular grooves having radii of different sizes andopen toward the front of said frame each groove adapted to receive hairrollers with a slightly smaller diameter for free movement of therollers along the respective passage, retaining means on the frameadjacent the open lower end of each passage for engagement with thelowermost hair roller in each passage to support the hair rollers instacked relation while exposing a portion of the length of saidlowermost hair roller at the bottom of each passage, said retainingmeans yieldably engaging the lowermost hair roller of each stack topermit it to be drawn downwardly from the lower end of the passage andAlso being operable for supportingly engaging and halting the hairroller next above the lowermost hair roller when the latter is withdrawnfrom the lower end of the passage, front wall means on said frameconfining the grooves toward the front and spaced from the axes of thegrooves a distance at least equal to the radius thereof, said framebeing provided with top and bottom walls having apertures registeringwith the passages, said retaining means comprising a sheet ofrubber-like material carried by said bottom wall and having aperturessmaller in diameter than the apertures in said bottom wall andregistering therewith, said frame also having end wall means,projections on said end wall means, and standards having slots whichengage said projections, said standards extending downwardly below saidbottom wall for supporting said frame on a horizontal surface.
 2. Adispenser according to claim 1 in which said passages are in side byside generally coplanar relation.
 3. A dispenser according to claim 1wherein the hair rollers are tapered and are introduced into the upperends of said passages small end foremost so as to nest together intelescoped relation in said passages, said retaining means comprising aresilient rubber-like element near the lower end of each passage atleast partially surrounding the respective passage and of such a size asto engage the lowermost hair roller in a respective passage in a regionaxially between the smaller and larger ends of the hair roller.
 4. Adispenser according to claim 1 in which said front wall means isdetachable from said body member to expose said grooves for cleaning. 5.A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the top and bottom of saidbody member converge toward one end of the body member whereby saidgrooves are of respectively different lengths from top to bottom.
 6. Adispenser according to claim 1 in which said retaining means comprisesflexible finger means in circumferentially distributed relationextending radially into each said passage near the lower end thereof. 7.A dispenser according to claim 6 in which said bottom wall is a moldedplastic material and said finger means comprise a plurality ofcircumferentially distributed fingers integral with said bottom wall. 8.A dispenser according to claim 1 in which said hair rollers are taperedand tubular and are introduced into said passages at the top small endforemost so as to stack in said passages in partially telescopedrelation with each other, said retaining means comprisingcircumferentially distributed flexible finger elements projectingradially into the lower end of each passage, the radially inner ends ofsaid finger elements being located on a circle having a diameter greaterthan the diameter of the smaller lower end of a hair roller in therespective passage but smaller than the diameter of the larger upper endof the hair roller.